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The Internet is a global computer network which
includes e-mail and the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web
offers a means of communicating, exploring, finding, learning, and
sharing information instantly. Becoming
web-savvy will provide you access to a wealth of tools
and information.
Why Use the Internet
The Internet instantly provides information to millions of people
worldwide for activities such as communication, research,
business, and recreation. It is used as a communication and research
tool, a means to transfer data, and a way to develop an online
presence. The web is an extremely popular and effective way to
retrieve information.
With so much information available via the web, it is valuable to
learn the basics of how to identify and locate information that you
want.
What Is the Internet?
The Internet is:
- A large network made up of a number of smaller networks.
- More
specifically, a network of millions of computers worldwide
covering commercial, academic, and government endeavors.
The Internet is:
- Electronic Mail (e-mail) - If you use electronic mail, you are using the Internet.
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - FTP is a set of rules used to transfer files over the Internet.
- Usenet (User Network) Newsgroups - Still thriving, newsgroup articles can be selected and read directly from your web browser.
- Chat Rooms
- Chat rooms provide another popular Internet service. Internet Relay
Chat (IRC) offers real-time, multi-user text conferencing on diverse
topics.
- World Wide Web (Web or WWW) - The most recognizable
and popular Internet technology is the web. It is the point-and-click
interface delivered by graphics-based web browsers that most people are
familiar with when using the Internet. Web browsers are programs on the
end-users computer that interpret and graphically present the web page
to the end-user. Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Mozilla Firefox
and Safari are the most popular browsers.
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